NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 235, 1 July 1944, Page 8

NEWS IN BRIEF

Loss Of Mail

The loss through enemy action of two small New Zealand mails for Mombasa, British East: Africa, was announced yesterday by the Postmaster-General, Air. Webb. The mails, which left the Dominion in September of last year, contained postings for Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika Territory, and Zanzibar made toward the latter end of August and the first fortnight in September. There were no parcels in Hie lost mails.

National Barty Caucus. A caucus of the National Party will bo held in Wellington ou Monday. Heritage Movement. By resolution yesterday the U.S.A. Dominion conference recorded appreciation of the Heritage movement and branches were recommended to encourage its work in their districts. Fall from Tram.

■Wlii'ii she fell off,a tram at the corner of -Mein and Riddiford Streets last night, Mrs. M. Morris. Upper Hutt, received a lacerated wound to the scalp. She was taken to the hospital by the Free Ambulance.

Lost Badges. Fifteen hundred U.S.A, badges were lost last year. Further efforts are to be made to get manufacturers to produce the brooch type. Some branches require members losing badges to produce a copy of the advertisement of loss before a replacement is issued.

Post-War Reconstruction. Arrangements are being made by the Associated Chambers of Commerce to send t.lie secretary, Mr. A. CL Heaney, Wellington, to Australia to investigate post-war reconstruction methods. Chambers of commerce throughout New Zealand are being asked to provide finance to enable Mr. Heaney to make the trip.

Bequests For Church. Bequests of £lOO eacli to the Baptist Union, tlie Baptist College, the annuity fund and lhe Hanover Street Church, Dunedin. £5OO to the foreign missions of the union and £5OO to the home missions of the union, arc provided for under the will of the late Mr. J. Jackson Bardic, Dunedin. /

Civil .Service Prospects. Saying that with Ms present standing he could only rise to the position of a senior postman in about 30 or 40 years, a youth of 18 appealed to the Auckland Manpower (Industrial) Committee this week against not being allowed to leave the Post and Telegraph Department. The appeal was allowed. Court anil Dead Man.

The fact that in some papers that had come before him provision was made requiring a man to maintain Ms wife when he was dead was commented on by Mr. Justice Blair in Auckland. “The Court has very extensive powers,” his Honour said, “but it. has not power to commit a man for contempt when he is dead.”

Disappearing Aiisraid Shelters. ■Wellington’s air-raid shelters,- now nearly three years old, are beginning to disappear. The city engineer, Mr. K. E. Luke, said yesterday that an effort was being made with the labour available to clear away the shelters that were built in the grounds of St. Patrick’s College; Kent Terrace. After that the shelters in the grounds of Avery Motors, Ltd., in Taranaki Street, would be dealt with.

N.Z.R.S.A. Executive. In addition to the list of officers o£ the N.Z.R.S.A., published yesterday, the following have been elected district delegates on the Dominion executive committee :—Messrs. I’. 11. G. Bennett (Welling-ton-East Coast), W. E. Leadley (Auckland). H. B. Burdekin (Wellington-Tara-naki-West Coast), E. C. Hale (OtagoSouthland), G. A. Hayden (Cantorbur.v-Nelson-Marlborough-Westland), C. E. Holmes (Waikato-Bay of Plenty). Houses For Miners.

A statement that the company had long realized the necessity for arrangements to enable men to buy homes was made by the chairman of directory of Taupiri Coal Mines, Limited, at the annual meeting of shareholders in Auckland. He said a scheme for advancing money to workers had been in operation since 1918, and many men now ownedtheir own homes free of debt. Heavy Taxation. The reserve which had to be made to cover taxation was again at “a staggering figure,” stated the report presented at the annual meeting of the Farmers’ Trading Company, Limited, Auckland “During the past four years,” it said, “we have had to find in cold cash and pay to the Income Tax Department a total amount nearly equalling the whole of our paid-up capital. This year we payin taxes an average of £135 per employee.” Late Fertilizer Deliveries. Though farmers are appreciative of the increase in fertilizer ration for the coming season, complaint is being made, in Auckland that fertilizer ordered last spring for January-April delivery for autumn top-dressing has not yet arrived on the farm. Due to transport and rail difficulties, many orders are in arrear, and it is claimed that Hie resultant delay to top-dressing is causing the loss of many thousands of pounds of needed butter-fat.

Defaulter. ■* For failing to report for militarj’ service at 'Wellington on Muy 23 last. Joint I’atrii'k McCnrtney, aged 41, was, lined £5 pud costs by Mr. SHlweli. S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court. Wellington, yesterday. Senior-Sergeant G. J. I’ttinc said accused, xvlto bad been employed by the Joint I’nrehasing Board, had now been graded 2. Ills trouble had been that he had failed to notify changes of address. Accused said lie did not think he would be wanted by tlie army.

Bequests Under Will. Under the will of the late Mrs, D. L. Moller, Nelson, whose death occurred on Thursilay. bequests have been made to a number of Nelson organizations, and her home is left for the benefit of disabled servicemen. In addition, on the death of Mrs. Moller, bequests totalling £3350 made by her late husband, Mr. B. If. Moller, become available to various Nelson institutions and sports bodies. Tlie New Zealand Institnfe'fnr the Blind nnd the New Zealand Crippled Children Society will each receive £2oo.—l’.A.

"111-Atlviscil Attempt.” "This was an ill-atlviseil aftcnipl Io tiefraud tlm Railway Department.” said Mr. Stilwell. S.M., in tlie Magistrates' Court. AVellingtim. yesterday in convii'ting ami lining Erank Va'iighatt Slairmtiml. carpenter, £2 and costs for attempting 1(> obtain £3/2./- from the New Zealand Kailways by falsely representing that he nwned 92 feet of garden hose, wlmdi Im alleged had gone missing in transit between T’ongarna and Tawa Flat. Delee-tivc-Sergeant J. Thompson said that neetised, Avhen inlervieAved by Detective Harper, bad ndtnifled that Im had never owned any garden hose, but bad made Ibe claim for this to cover other articles which he thought had been lust in transit.

Tepid Salt Water Cure. A proposal by Mr. Allan Macdonald, orthopaedic surgeon, that the Auckland Hospital Board should consider the use of the Auckland City Council's tepid salt waler baths for the trealmenl. of certain tyites of wounded servicemen was favourably received at. a meeting of lite board this week. Mr. Macdonald said in a letter that exercise in warm salt water av:is beneficial to many types of convaleseout Avar wounded, notably those xvitb shit joints, recent ampiitations and recovering nerve injuries. It. av:is decided to ;tpnroaelt the city council and, subject; to its agreement., to give the proposal :t st* tnonlhs' trial. Cake for Britain. A modification in the restri«-tions imposed on tlie forAvarding ot cakes weighing in excess of 21h. in gift parcels ki tlm United Kingdom was annonnei'd yesterday by tilt' I’ostmasler-Geimral, Mr. AVebb.' There was, he said, now no objection to tlm posting of parcels, containing more than 21b. of cake, provided that the total weight of any parcel, including packing, did not exceed 51b.’ In respect of other foodstull's, the existing rest fiction of 21b. for any one class ot foodstull contained in a gift parcel still applied, and also tlmf parcels weighing in excess of tlm gross weight of 51b. were liable to seizure. Gift parcels, im-luding parcels containing cake, should tint bo posted at. more frequeiit. intervals than once :l month.